Pressure-regulator



mmel" J. BWATTS.,

Pressure Regulator.

Patented April I2, 188i.

No. r40,060.

gznes 60. @@m? NJETERS. PHDTD-LITHGGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C- UNITED STATESN PAT-ENT OFFICE,

JOSEPH E. vvA'r'rs, orLAwnENcE,MAssAcHUsnrrs.

PRESSURE-RiaceI AToR.-I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,060, dated April 12, 1881.

Application led March El, 1881. (No model.)

- To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JosnPH E. War'rs, a citizenlof the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the coun ty of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Pressure-Regulators; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the` same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which forms a part of thisspeciiication. I 5

at its lower end upon an elastic diaphragm,

and'is properly connected to a weighted lever or a spring, which acts to open or close the valve in consonance with variationsin the pressure -in ,the delivery or distributing pipe or`drum,vor the apparatus supplied with iiuid which the valve isdesigned to govern.

In this class of regulators, if the diaphragm, from constant use or other cause, should give out or burst, tlievalve will be opened wide by the weighted lever, and steam, at full boilerpressure, will be admitted to the apparatus supplied with steam through the regulatorsuch, for instance, as the steam-cylinders of slashers in cotton-mills, drying-machines in print-works, and the like. Under these conditions the cylinders are subjecteed to a great and sudden pressure, which, in some cases, causes them to burst o r explode.

The object of my invention isto remedy this difficulty, and this I accomplish by cornbining with the valve, valve-stem, and dia- 5o phragm a piston (of less area than the diaphragm) attached to the stem and contained This invention relates to pressure-regula# tors, so called, for governing the pressure `of as againstirregularities of pressure in the sup-l which controls the valve; but if from any cause the diaphragm should be torn or burst the water will at once run from the regulator and the steam will act on the upper face of the piston, forcing it down with superior press- 6 5 ure, and consequently closing the valve.

rlhe nature of my improvement and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, which represents, 7o in vertical longitudinal section, a pressureregulator embodying my invention. y

A represents the case of the regulator-valve,

lwhich, in the present instance, is a balanceplunger, so. called, the inlet of such valve- `casebeng shown at B, its ports at E F, and

valves `at a d, while its eduction or discharge is at C. i

The pipe c is connected at its farther end with the operating machine, and at its near 8o endwith the regulator through the opening b. The lower portion of said regulatorI contains theltlexible diaphragm J, fastened in the usual manner, and, in connection with the lever o and weights attached to the lower portion of Jthe valve-stem K, reducing as much as may be desired the pressure from the main boiler. l

I obtain access to the interior of the waterwell H `and to the Valve-stem K by means of the orifice b and plug e, and by inserting a pin 9o` or rod in the hole sin such stem I prevent the latter from rotating while the nut is put on or removed from its lower end.

The parts thus fardescribed are substantially like those described in my 4Letters Pat- 95 ent N o. 161,917, dated April 13, 1875 reissued March 12, 1878, No. 8,124.

In applying my improvement to this form of regulator I make in the shell ofthe apparatus,

between the lower end of the water-well H and roo the diaphragm-chamber L, a cylindrical chamber, I, and in this cylinder I place a loose-lit- Ato direct steam-pressure, whichwill act to the water will, under that pressure, pass by `phragmchamber, and act on the diaphragm ting piston, D, which is mounted on and connected with the valve-stem Kin any suitable manner. The piston should be of smaller area than the diaphragm, and, as above stated, lits in its cylinder loosely, so that water may be free to pass above and below it. Under these conditions the pressure of water due to the steam-pressure will be exerted on both faces of the piston, and will act on the diaphragm as usual. When there is increased pressure the piston from the water-well into the diawith the result of partly closing the valve. When, on the other hand, pressure in the water-well decreases, pressure in the diaphragmchamber will in like manner decrease, and the weighted lever will act to raise the diaphragm, the water thus displaced passing readily from the diaphragm-chamber, by the piston, into the well.

In case the diaphragm should, from any cause, be torn or fractured, the water from the water-well will pass out through the opening in the diaphragm, and the piston will be subjected force the piston down, and thus close the valve to such an extent as to prevent the pressure in the apparatus supplied by the regulator from becoming excessive.

The objection to pistons being used solely in pressure-regulators in place of diaphragms is as follows If the piston is fitted into the cylinder so that it will not leak steam or water it is then so tight that it will not work easily enough to maintain a uniform pressure in the apparatus to which it is attached. If, on the contrary, the piston is fitted into its cylinder loosely enough to work easily and maintain a uniform pressure in said apparatus it will leak steam or Water so that there will be a great waste, and the differential expansions caused by steam leaking through it to the atmosphere would be another detriment to its working; butby combining the piston with adiaphragm, as hereinbefore described, I entirely overcome this objection. As the piston lies betweenthe lower end ofthe water-well and the diaphragmchamber, it will always be submerged in water when the diaphragm is free from fracture, therefore overcoming to a great extent the differential expansion before alluded to, water being an excellent medium for keeping all the parts at the same temperature.

By my present improvement I also dispense with the shelf or partition at the bottom of the water-well, (shown in my Letters Patent above named, and also in my Letters Patent No. 146,153, of January 6,1874,) so that the piston will receive the full pressure from the apparatus instantly in case the diaphragm bursts, which would not be possible were the said shelf or partition retained.

To enable others to understand more fully the workings ot" a pressure-regulator of the class here shown with my present improvement added, we will suppose that a regulator is attached with my present improvement to heat the cylinders of a Slasher-machine, so called, such as are generally used in cottonmills, and that the regulator is weighted so as to maintain in the cylinders of said slasherframe a pressure of six pounds to the square inch. It the slasher is run faster or the yarn contains more moisture, the pressure in said cylinders willbe slightly lowered. Consequently the pressure in the water-well H and diaphragm-chamber L will be lowered, thus allowing the weighted lever o to open the regulator-valve, and through its ports E F admit more steam to the cylinders. When the pressure has risen to its maximum amount in said cylinders, the pressure acts back through the independent pipe c upon the column of water in the water-well, and through it upon the diaphragm, passing the piston D and raising the weighted lever and partially or entirely closing the regulator-valve. So long as the diaphragm is free from fracture the pressure upon the upper and under sides of the piston D is practically equal; but should the diaphragm burst, the pressure then acts upon the piston. Inasmuch as the latter is of smaller area than the diaphragm, the pressure in the cylinders will rise somewhat-say, to nine pounds or thereabout-before it can operate the piston to close the regulator-valve but if the piston were not there at all, the full boiler-pressure would be let into the cylinders and in many cases would burst them.

I do not wish to restrict myself to the form of regulator herein shown, as my improvement may be applied to any regulator whatsoever capable of accomplishing the same result.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a pressure-regulator, the combination, with a regulator-valve, water-well, flexible diaphragm, and weighted lever or spring, of a piston smaller in area than said diaphragm, connected to the valve and applied between the bottom of the water-well and the diaphragmchamber, as and for the purposes herein described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH E. WATTS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES BARRETT, H. E. IIODGE.

IOO 

